Insanity, Differences, and Love
by Imaginary-Warrior
Summary: Lydian and her friends had no idea how great of place Hogwarts could be at match making and adrenaline rushes. George/OC Neville/OC Dean Thomas/OC Oliver Wood/OC Krum/OC  Lee Jordan/OC
1. References

A/N: Hey my sweet readers, so I've started this Harry Potter fanfic and I know there are a lot of characters. Personally, I find this as a challenge and I'm going to meet it head on. This first "chapter" is a reference page for you to go to if you forget something. I really hope you like it.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter—books or movies. I also don't own the actors (though how lovely would that be? Kidding!).**

**Chapter 1: Reference**

**Lydian Dowell:** the "brains" of the group, tall, brown hair, gray eyes, wants to be a healer when she grows up, has an owl named Bean, she's a half-blood, her dad (a muggle born wizard) is named William, her mother (a pureblood) is named Christine, she's an only child, from London, she's in Hufflepuff

**Lucillia O'Malley: **the "happy one," short, black hair, hazel eyes, wants to teach Herbology when she grows up, has a black cat named Sassifrass, she's a half blood, her dad (a pureblood) is named Robert, her mom (a muggle) is named Annie, she has a little brother named Michael who can't do magic, from Ireland (accent and all), nick-named Lia, she's in Hufflepuff

**Noctis Todd: **the "dark one," short, brown hair, brown eyes with sparks of red in them, wants to be an auror when she grows up, has a Savannah cat named Tarot, she's a pureblood, her parents are unknown (expected to have been killed by Voldemort), lives with Neville and his grandma, currently in London, she's in Ravenclaw

**Moxie Jinx: **the "conscience" of the group, medium height, black hair, brown eyes, African descendant, has a black cat with a long neck named Chestire, muggleborn, her dad is named Solomon, her mom is named Joanna, she's an only child, from Ireland (no accent), she's in Ravenclaw

**Caelan Green: **the "heart" of the group, tall, red hair, bluish-green eyes, wants to teach Potions when she grows up, has a black and white cat named Gizmo, pureblood, her dad is named Luke, her mom is named Megan, she has an older brother named Aiden who is in his seventh year at Hogwarts, from Ireland (accent and all), she's in Gryffindor

**Adina Moore: **the "free spirit" of the group, tall, orange-red hair, bluish-gray eyes, she has glasses, wants to own a bookstore when she grows up, has a grayish-brown cat with black strips named Tala, half-blood, her dad is a muggle named Timothy who died when she was 5, her mom is named Sophie, from London, she's in Gryffindor


	2. Insecurities

A/N: Hello friend. Come, take a load off. Read the beginning of a story that I hope will be fantastic. I will try very hard to make sure that I keep the integrity of the _Harry Potter_ series. I'm going to assume that you know the basics of _Harry Potter_ since you're reading a fanfic, but I will explain some finer points when the occasion arises. Please keep in mind that I am also doing a _Batman_ fanfic and that sometimes I may not update as often as I like, though I will try for a new chapter every week. Thank you very much. Please review. They make writing worth it.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own the books, the characters, or the movies. I do own my OCs so please don't take them.**

**Chapter 2: Insecurities**

An 11 year old girl walked closely to her mother's side as they headed to Platform 9 ¾. Her father was on the other side of her mother and looked at his daughter every once in awhile, making sure she hadn't run off. The girl's name was Lydian Dowell. "Mummy, are you _sure_ that I have to go to Hogwarts?" she asked her mother in despairs. Christine Dowell, Lydian's mother, looked at her daughter and sighed.

"Darling, I know you're frightened, but Hogwarts will be the best thing that's ever happened to you," she replied.

"What if I don't make friends?" Lydian asked worriedly.

William (Lydian's father) chuckled, but quickly stopped as Lydian glared at him. "Lydian, you're a sweet girl. You'll have a lot of friends."

"You promise?"

William, Christine, and Lydian stopped walking and William went in front of his daughter and bent so that he was at her eye level. He offered his pinky finger to her. Lydian smiled and wrapped her pinky around his, giving it a squeeze. "I promise," said William.

Lydian smiled, "Okay. Let's go!" William and Christine smiled and together the family walked through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. People were running about, hurriedly getting their luggage onto the Hogwarts Express. Lydian had never seen anything so cool. The train was bright red and blowing smoke and whistling. Lydian turned back to her parents who had tears in their eyes. "What's wrong?"

"They're happy tears, darling. You're just so grown up," said Christine. Lydian, proud of the compliment, really considered her situation. She was about to take one of the most important steps of her life. She was going to school to become a good witch, but she was still kid so she abandoned the solemn thoughts and threw herself into her parents' arms. The family hugged tightly. When they let go, Lydian loaded her things onto the train. She looked for an empty compartment with her owl, Bean, and cheered herself when she did. After getting settled, she realized she still had time and so she went to her window. Many families were still saying good bye. A red headed man and woman were surrounded by seven red headed children—six boys and one girl. Only five of them seemed old enough to be going to Hogwarts. The red headed woman appeared to be giving a lecture (especially to the two youngest students who were twins). Lydian turned her gaze to a family of three, but instead it looked like a grandma with two children. One was a boy who looked a bit awkward for his age and the other was a girl brown hair who looked as nervous and Lydian felt.

Lydian stopped looking when she heard the final whistle for the train. Her watch said it was 10:59 and she couldn't have been more excited. She looked out the window again to see her parents. She waved at them and they returned it enthusiastically. Everyone got on the train and suddenly they were moving. Lydian put her owl's cage in her lap and looked at Bean. "Well, Bean, we're finally going to Hogwarts." She was started by the knock on her compartment door. Turning her head, Lydian saw a short girl with black hair and bluish, hazel eyes standing there. The girl opened the door and stood there for an awkward moment, holding a black cat in her arms.

"Hi," she said in a thick, Irish accent. "My name is Lucillia O'Malley. Would it be alright if me and Sassifrass sat with you?"

"Feel free," Lydian replied happily. "I'm Lydian Dowell." Lucillia sat next to Lydian and kept her cat in her lap. "This is Bean," Lydian gestured to her brown owl who had black spots on his wings. "So, Lucillia is an interesting name."

"Thanks. My dad is interested in Roman culture and he passed it to me. He's a wizard, but my mam isn't. She's a muggle—shock for her when she found out about him," said Lucillia. "So what house do you want to get into?"

"Well, there all good houses, but I don't want to be in Slytherin. That's where all the bad wizards come from," said Lydian.

"I know what you mean. I'd be happy into any house except that one. Maybe we'll be in the same house," said Lucillia.

"I'd like that. It'd be nice to know at least one person," said Lydian. Lucillia smiled and reached into her coat pocket where she pulled out two chocolate frogs. She handed one to Lydian.

"Shall we settle this friendship like men?"

"Men settle friendship over chocolate frogs?"

"No, but we're girls and we're kids so we do."

"How can I say no to that logic?" The girls laughed and bit into their chocolate frogs. That's when another girl knocked on their door. It was the same girl that Lydian saw earlier with the boy and grandma.

"Hi," said the girl, stroking her cat's head. She was short, like Lucillia, with brown hair. Her eyes were brown too, but they also had specks of red in them. She was pale and thin, but had a certain fierceness to her. "Can I sit with you?"

"Sure," said Lucillia. "I'm Lucillia O'Malley and that there is Lydian Dowell. You guys can call me Lia if you like."

"I'm Noctis Todd," said Noctis. "This cat in my arms is Tarot." Tarot had light brown fur and was covered in black spots.

"It's nice to meet you," said Lydian.

"I can't believe it's time to go to Hogwarts," said Noctis. "I feel like I've been waiting a lot longer than 11 years."

"Same," said Lia. "It took ages to get here. It'll be totally awesome."

The girls were interrupted by another knock. This time a red headed girl of medium height was the one who stood in their compartment. She was also holding a cat. It was black and white. "How do you do?" she asked in an Irish accent. "My name is Caelan Green and this fur ball in my arms is Gizmo. Could we sit with you?"

"Sure," said Noctis. "I'm Noctis Todd and this is my cat Tarot."

"I'm Lia O'Malley and my cat is named Sassifrass."

"I'm Lydian Dowell. This is my owl Bean."

"Bean?" asked Noctis. "What kind of name is that?"

"The kind a seven year old girl gives her owl when he eats nothing but beans until he decided to learn to hunt," Lydian replied dryly. The girls grinned and laughed and Lydian was excited that she made friends. The ride to Hogwarts continued and the girls were having a lot of fun. They shared sweets and stories about themselves. Finally, Hogwarts was close so the girls changed into their black robes. The train pulled up to a station and the girls put their luggage and pets with all the others. They looked around the platform and saw a giant man with a bushy beard calling the first years to him. The first years, being small, were able to slip by the crowd and go to the giant. The girls found his name to be Hagrid and he led them to a large lake with a lot of boats in it. They looked at each other curiously, but got into the boats. Their delight was immense when the boat started to move of its own accord.

Lydian looked up and saw the night sky glittering with stars. The lanterns in the boats casted a dreamy glow across the glassy lake and Lydian was sure nothing could get better than this. She was wrong because in her view came Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts castle was even more beautiful than her parents described. The castle just gave a feeling of being at home and feeling special. All the first years were excited as the boats pulled up to shore and they were finally able to enter the school they had been dreaming about for years. "Blimey," Noctis exclaimed softly as she looked around. The woods next to the school added to the mystery.

Hagrid led the group inside the castle and they stared in awe at the stone walls and moving paintings. He led them to a case of stairs where a stern looking woman waited for them. She nodded at Hagrid and he left to go inside the room behind huge doors. "Welcome, to Hogwarts," said the woman. "I am Professor McGonagall and Deputy Headmistress here at Hogwarts, as well as head of Gryffindor house. When we go inside you will be sorted into one of four houses—Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. When you're here at Hogwarts, you're houses will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn your house points and any rule breaking will lose you points. I believe they're ready for us."

The girls gulped as the large doors opened to a room called the Great Hall. It had long, four tables seating many people—Lydian knew that each table was for a different house. Professor McGonagall led the first years into the Great Hall. At the end there was a long table for the staff at Hogwarts. In the middle sat an older man with a long white beard and half moon glasses. His twinkling blue eyes caught Lydian's gaze and he smiled at her kindly. Lydian returned the smiled and looked to Professor McGonagall who brought out a stool in front of everyone and a tatty old hat. "What is that?" a girl asked, terrified. The girl next to her tried to comfort her, but the girl refused. Lydian looked at her. She looked nice. She had dark skin and was of medium height. Her black hair was in braids and pulled into a ponytail. She had glasses and her eyes were tearing up with anxiety. The girl comforting her was tall with red-orange hair and glasses.

"Don't worry," said Lydian. "It's the Sorting Hat. It decides what house you go into." The Sorting Hat proceeded to open its mouth and began to sang a song about unity between the houses of Hogwarts.

"Oh," the girl was less scared. "Sorry about that, I'm not used to this world. I come from a non-magic family—I think they're called…muggles?"

"Oh, you're a muggle-born. Don't worry about that. We're all learning new things together. I'm Lydian Dowell. These girls are Noctis Todd, Caelan Green, and Lia O'Malley," said Lydian. The girls gave a small wave to the girl and turned back to Professor McGonagall who was calling names of students to go up to get sorted. "What's your name?"

"I'm Moxie Jinx," said Moxie.

"I'm Adina Moore," said the red-headed girl.

"Pleasure to meet you." The two girls shook hands and waited for McGonagall to call their names.

"Dowell, Lydian," called Professor McGonagall.

Lydian took a deep breath and walked up to the stool. She sat down and Professor McGonagall put the hat on her head. It was weird feeling it sift through her thoughts and memories._ Well, well, well, Lydian Dowell. I remember your parents. They were very good students. You're quite a bit like them—especially your mother. You're smart, a bit shy, very loyal, responsible…hmm…I think your house is quite obvious._ "HUFFLEPUFF!" it shouted. The Hufflepuff table cheered and Lydian joined them. Time went on and Lia joined her at the Hufflepuff table. Noctis and Moxie were sorted into Ravenclaw while Caelan and Adina were in Gryffindor.

Professor Dumbledore stood after the sorting and gave his regular speech. After he was done, the feast began. Lia and Lydian loaded up their plates with food and dug in excitedly. Too soon, dinner was done and Lydian and Lia were following their house's prefects to their house. Their password was Herbology. Lydian and Lia went up to their room and squealed happily. Their room was nice. It had five beds (two belonging to Lia and Lydian) covered in cozy looking, yellow sheets. They had new robes adorned with their house colors and symbol (a badger). Even Bean and Sassifrass looked satisfied with the room.

"Can you believe this? We're in Hogwarts!" Lydian exclaimed happily.

"Even better thing is we're in the same house!" Lia said, jumping on her bed. When they got settled, Lia and Lydian sat on Lydian's bed all night—talking and making plans about how to spend their year. This year was going to be amazing!


	3. Classes Begin

A/N: Hello friends! I don't tell you often enough, but you are brilliant and lovely and my favorite people ever! Thanks for keeping up with this. Please review. They make me so happy. Oh, and the time period doesn't really matter. I'm guessing that this takes place in the 90's since that's when the books came out, but I'm not really going to emphasize the importance of the year.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter—books or movies. I also don't own the characters created by J.K. Rowling or the actors because that would be slavery and slavery is wrong (just sayin').**

**Chapter 3: Classes Begin**

Noctis groaned as she realized it was time to get up. However, she wasn't inclined to get up so she curled into a ball and continued sleeping until someone poked her. Noctis lifted her head and glared at Moxie who was standing above her. "You need to get up," said Moxie. "Breakfast is being served and we need energy to get through our classes."

"I don't eat breakfast," Noctis growled and she went underneath her covers again.

Moxie sighed. She liked Noctis. Noctis helped her out last night by giving her some information about the magical world, but now Noctis was being very difficult. Without a second thought, Moxie ripped the covers off of Noctis.

Her stare was murderous as she looked at Moxie. Her guardian never even did that to her, what made this girl think she could? "There had better be a good reason why you did that," Noctis threatened.

Moxie didn't seem that perturbed. In fact, she gave Noctis her own menacing glare (which threw all others out of the water). "We're going to breakfast and we're going to meet the girls we talked with last night and we're going to go to class on time. No excuses," Moxie said in a voice that left no room out for discussion. Her glare intensified and Noctis backed down.

"Okay," Noctis said. "You're one of those people, who are very good and convince others to be very good, aren't you? Like, you beat them up if they don't."

Moxie smiled, "Think of me as a vengeful angel." Noctis shook her head, but smiled. She dressed in her school robes and got her bag. The other girls in their year had already gone, but Noctis didn't really care about them. The room they were all staying in was nice. The beds were comfortable and everything was coordinated to the theme of Ravenclaw's House colors. Moxie and Noctis headed down stairs where some of the older kids were studying for their classes. The common room was much like the bedrooms. Its design was to show Ravenclaw pride. The only difference was that the statue of their house founder was there. Rowena Ravenclaw was the woman who considered the strength of the mind important above all things. Noctis felt a bit surprised when she was put into this house, but the hat said it was her place because of her creativity—which was a confidant booster for Noctis.

The two headed down to the great hall. They noticed that the head of their house (Professor Flitwick who taught Charms) was handing out class schedules. Noctis and Moxie got their schedules from him and then saw that Lydian, Lia, Adina, and Caelan were eating at the Hufflepuff table. Lydian was the one who saw Noctis and Moxie and waved them over. Noctis and Moxie went to them and thought it kind of the other Hufflepuffs when they moved to make room for Noctis and Moxie. "Hi guys," said Lia.

"Morning," said Moxie.

Noctis grunted.

"You're not a morning person, are you?" Adina stated. She snickered as Noctis glared at her.

"How observational of you."

"Would you like some breakfast?" Lydian offered. Noticing Noctis's disdain, she said, "Come on, it's the first day of school and since you're not a morning person, you'll need all the help you can get. Go on, at least a few bites of toast." Noctis shook her head and looked away. "We'll leave you alone if you eat." Noctis sighed and grabbed the toast that Lydian offered, taking small bites. Lydian smirked, but said nothing.

"So have you guys gotten your schedules yet?" asked Lia.

"Yep," answered Moxie. She took out her schedule and handed it to Lia. "Do we have any of the same classes? How do you know who's in your class anyways?"

"Well, everyone in your house who is the same year as you will be in your class. All first years basically have the same classes because we don't get to take elective courses yet like Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies. Two houses are put together to share classes," Lydian explained. She looked over Lia's shoulder to read the schedule. "We have Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts together. All houses have Flying together. We have Charms with the _Slytherins_?"

"What's wrong with the Slytherins?" asked Moxie.

"Almost all dark wizards come from that house," said Caelan.

"Not mention almost all of them are into the pureblood mania," added Adina.

"'Pureblood mania?'"

"There are some wizards who believe that they're better than others because their entire family is made of wizards—in that sense, their blood is pure wizard," said Caelan.

"Not all purebloods believe in that, though," said Noctis.

"Of course not," said Lydian. "I'm not sure that the wizard race would still be around if we hadn't married muggles."

"Oh, then maybe not all of the Slytherins are bad. You know, you really shouldn't make judgments before you get to know someone," said Moxie.

"You're one of those people, who try to like everyone, aren't you?" Adina stated.

"My parents raised me to be kind and charitable towards others," Moxie replied with a shrug.

"Well, we all have our flaws," Noctis joked. Moxie just rolled her eyes.

"We should probably go to class," said Lydian.

"Why?" Lia groaned. "Breakfast isn't over yet."

"We don't know where our classes are. We need to find out where they are," said Lydian.

Lia rolled her eyes, "We can just ask one of the older kids to show us around."

"We should find out for ourselves. We can't ask everyone for help all of the time. Come on, you're done with breakfast anyway. Besides, Moxie and Noctis are coming with us to Potions and we need our books," said Lydian.

"Fine," Lia consented. "Bye Caelan, bye Adina."

"See you guys," the two Gryffindors chorused. Noctis, Moxie, Lydian, and Lia left the great hall and agreed to meet in the dungeons after they got their stuff. Lydian and Lia broke off in one direction while Noctis and Moxie went in the other. After they fetched their needed materials, the girls went to the dungeons where the class was waiting outside of. Lydia and Lia joined not a minute later and stood with Noctis and Moxie. They said their greetings and waited silently until Moxie broke the silence.

"Who is teaches this class?"

"Professor Snape," answered Lydian. "He's head of Slytherin house."

"Oh." Moxie didn't have a chance to say more because at that moment a tall, thin man with a large, hooked nose and long, black hair. It was Professor Snape. He took one disdainful stare at the class and then opened the door that opened to his classroom. The class filed in, shivering. The Potions classroom was not a welcoming place. Weird things in jars lined shelves that surrounded the desks of the students. Professor Snape's desk towered over the others and he walked past the students to go to it. He turned around and faced the class.

"Good morning class," he said with a bit of a sneer.

"Good morning Professor Snape," the class chimed together.

"For the record, there will be no foolish wand waving in this class," said Snape.

Lydian and Lia looked at each other and then around the room as discreetly as possible. No one even had his or her wand out. The class went on like that. Professor Snape would tell them not to do something that they weren't thinking of or doing. He seemed to not be fond of any of them and gave them a 13 inch essay over the Bezoar rock (a stone taken from the stomach of a goat that has healing abilities). Noctis, Moxie, Lydian, and Lia were grateful when class was over. "Who gives out homework like that on the first day?" Noctis fumed furiously.

"Apparently Professor Snape," Lydian deadpanned.

"This is ridiculous. Oh no, we have to go to a double period of Transfiguration with the Slytherins," Noctis groaned, looking at her schedule.

"I still think you all are judging too quickly," said Moxie.

"Yeah, yeah, we're bad people," Noctis said, waving her hand in the air carelessly.

"We have to go to Herbology with the Gryffindors. We'll see you at lunch," said Lydian. She and Lia went their way while Noctis and Moxie went to Professor McGonagall's classroom. Well, they tried to. They got lost.

"Is this school a maze?" Noctis complained.

"Maybe we should ask someone for help," Moxie suggested.

"No, that's so awkward."

"Do you have a better idea?"

Silence.

"Then we're asking someone for help. What about that guy over there?" Moxie pointed to a brown haired boy that was certainly taller than Noctis. He was attractive. Noctis wasn't looking for love or anything, but she could appreciate the opposite sex. His hair was short and brown and his eyes were brown as well though they seemed to have a bit of gray mixed in. He certainly had muscles so Noctis figured he was on his house's Quidditch team. Steeling herself, Noctis went over to him.

"Excuse me," she said.

The boy looked at her and smiled, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, my friend and I are lost. We're looking for Professor McGonagall's class. Do you think you could take us or tell us how to get there?" Noctis asked a bit awkwardly.

"Of course," the boy's smile widened and Noctis noticed he had a bit of an Irish accent. "My name is Oliver Wood."

"Noctis Todd and my friend is Moxie Jinx," said Noctis.

"Nice to meet you both. Let's get you to class," said Oliver. He began leading them to Professor McGonagall's class. "So what's your first day been like here at Hogwarts?" At their shocked faces he replied, "If you were older than first years, you wouldn't be asking me for to tell you where your class is."

"Oh, well if you are all knowing, what year are you?" Noctis retorted.

"I'm a third year Gryffindor," Oliver said with obvious pride.

"So you're two years older than us. Wow, you must know the secrets of life," Noctis said in a slightly mocking manner.

"Noctis!" Moxie hissed. "Sorry about her. I think wolves raised her."

"It's not as bad as it sounds. They keep me very warm in winter," said Noctis with obvious sarcasm. Oliver chuckled at the girls and stopped when they reached the classroom.

"Here you are, ladies," said Oliver.

"Thanks for your help," said Moxie.

"What she said," said Noctis.

"Not a problem. Ask me any time you need help," Oliver replied. He walked away and Noctis and Moxie entered the classroom. They took their seats when Moxie rounded on Noctis.

"Do you have a crush on him or something?"

"What?" Noctis was shocked. "I just met the guy! No!"

"Just because you just met him doesn't mean you can't have a crush on him."

"I admit, I think he's good looking, but that doesn't mean I have…_feelings_ for him or anything," said Noctis.

"Calm down, I was just asking," said Moxie.

"Yeah, yeah." A boy came up to them then. He was short with spiky black hair and unattractive teeth. "What do you want?"

"Hi, I'm Flint," said the boy.

"You have bad breath; go away," Noctis ordered.

Flint laughed, "You're funny."

Noctis raised her eyebrows and explained, "I wasn't joking."

That shut Flint up immediately, "You know; there are some guys here who could take you to the top of the social status. I'm one of them."

"No thanks. I've never wanted to be tall," said Noctis. "Besides, I don't like depending on other people."

"Mr. Flint, sit down," said Professor McGonagall. She was a tall woman. She was obviously confidant, but Noctis could see something of a gentleness in her. Class began and was over quickly. Moxie and Noctis quickly gathered their things and headed to the great hall for lunch. This time, Adina and Caelan were waiting at the Gryffindor table and waved the two over.

"Hey, where's Lydian and Lia?" asked Noctis.

"Yeah, didn't you guys have Herbology with them last period?" Moxie added.

"We did. Lydian is terrible with plants. She dropped one of the pots and so Lia stayed after class to help her clean it up. Professor Sprout wasn't that mad, though. She just gave Lydian a warning to be more careful next time," answered Adina.

"I didn't know Lydian could turn so red," Caelan said thoughtfully. "She almost matched the color of Gryffindor."

"Yes, we get it; I blush profusely," Lydian growled as she sat down next to Noctis. Lia sat next to Moxie on the other side of the table.

"Bad day?" Noctis asked.

"Not really. I knew I was going to have troubles in that class. My thumb is black instead of green. However, I'm annoyed by how much people are obsessing over how red I turned. Good grief, it's like they think I was embarrassed in front of a boy I like or something!" Lydian exclaimed.

"People do think that," said Caelan. "They think you like someone in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff and that's why you blushed."

"I blushed because all attention was on me when I wasn't in one of my better moments," said Lydian. "I've only been here a day, how can I have a rumor spread around about me already?"

"It's Hogwarts—half of the fun stuff is in the gossip," Oliver came into the conversation. "Hi Noctis, hi Moxie."

Noctis and Moxie gave a little wave while the rest of the girls looked at Oliver. "Who are you?" Lydian asked.

"Sorry, I'm Oliver Wood. I helped your friends get to Transfiguration today," Oliver answered.

"Oh," said Lydian. "That was nice of you."

"Wood! Get over here! We need to settle this debate about the Quidditch Cup!" one Gryffindor called.

Oliver nodded at them and stood. "Enjoy your lunch, girls," he said before leaving to join his friends.

"Well he's good looking," said Caelan.

"Noctis has a crush on him," said Moxie.

"I DO NOT!" Noctis exclaimed. Caelan and Adina snickered while Lydian and Lia shared a knowing look. "What was that look for?"

"Nothing," said Lia.

"No it was for something. Come on, tell me," said Noctis.

"It's nothing," said Lydian. "We're just surprised that you don't like him like that. He's attractive, nice, and he did help you out today. We just find it…peculiar."

"Sorry I'm not the swooning type," said Noctis.

Lydian shrugged, "Never said you had to be." Lunch went on and then it was time for classes again. Noctis was glad when the day had ended and she was in her pajamas, ready to go to bed. The other girls were in bed, except for Moxie who was just about to go to bed.

"Moxie," Noctis asked.

"Yeah?"

"Is it really that weird that I don't like Oliver Wood like that?"

"No. The girls were just curious about him."

"I guess. Thanks."

"No problem." Moxie went to bed and drew her curtains closed. Noctis climbed into her own bed, drew her curtains closed, and sighed. She lay down, thinking of how Oliver went out of his way just to help her and Moxie get to their class. Maybe he was a guy worth watching for after all.


	4. Noctver

A/N: Hello dear readers. I seem to have a lot of creative juices for this story so I shall update once again. Yay. Um…I don't think I have a lot to say. If you're reading my Batman fanfic, I'm sorry for not updating more often. I seem to be losing my edge on that one, but I will update that one sometime this week. Anyways, on with the story.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter books or movies. I don't own characters or actors. I do not own real estate in the magical world. I do, however, own my OCs (Lydian, Lia, Adina, Moxie, Caelan, Noctis, and a few more that will be introduced later in the story). Please don't take them.**

**Chapter 4: Noctver **

"Adina! Caelan! Get your butts out of bed," Angelina Johnson exclaimed.

"No thanks," Caelan replied.

"Ditto," said Adina.

"It's your grave when you're late to class," Angelina muttered.

"Bring flowers to the funeral please!" Caelan called as Angelina left the room. With a great sigh, she sat up and got out of bed. She pulled on her uniform and turned around to see Adina at the door waiting for her.

"You're really slow in the morning," Adina commented dryly.

"How do you do that? Nevermind, let's go." Caelan and Adina walked down to the common room where Caelan's older brother was talking to Bill Weasley. Aiden Green and his sister looked very alike. Many people joked about how they were twins six years apart. Aiden was an inch or two taller than Caelan and he had short brown hair with blazing blue eyes. He was pretty buff which added to his charm (or so the rumor went). Aiden saw his sister and nodded at her. "Hey bro," Caelan said, walking up to him.

"Hey," Aidan replied. He gestured to Bill, "Girls, this is Bill Weasley. Bill, this is my sister Caelan and her friend Adina. I still can't believe you made a friend."

"I made five friends, thank you very much," said Caelan.

"Wow, aren't you Miss Popular?" Aiden said sarcastically.

"Be glad those are just her friends and you only have one sibling," said Bill.

"What do you mean?" asked Adina. "How many siblings do you have?"

"I'm the oldest of seven," said Bill.

Two red headed boys appeared next to Bill, sandwiching him in-between them. "Bill doesn't like admitting that he loves us," said the boy on Bill's left.

"He thinks he's cooler than us for some reason," said the boy on Bill's right.

"Of course we know—"

"That we're his favorites."

"If you two are my favorites, then I'm not a ginger," said Bill.

"Why else would you look after us so much if we weren't your favorites?"

"Because you get into the most trouble and mum asked me to look after you. I can't believe you already have detention." Bill crossed his arms and rolled his eyes at his brothers.

"Filch is out to get us."

"We only played a little joke on him."

"You turned Mrs. Norris pink!"

"We know. It wasn't our usual stuff. We were actually trying to make her red."

"I'm confused," said Caelan. She looked at the twins. "Who are you?"

"He's Fred," said the boy on the right, pointing to the other boy.

"He's George," said the boy on the left, pointing back.

"Of course there has been some debate about that."

"Since people have a hard time telling us apart."

"Especially our mum."

"Which is disturbing."

"Because she is our mum."

"And really should be able to tell us apart."

"You two make my head hurt," said Caelan. She turned to Adina. "I want food." Adina could only nod and they linked arms and walked away.

"Nice meeting you," the twins called after them. Caelan and Adina laughed, but kept walking to the great hall. Today, it was the Ravenclaw table that had the honor of hosting them. Sure enough, when Caelan and Adina looked at the Ravenclaw table they saw Moxie, Noctis, Lydian, and Lia waiting for them. Lydian was reading and eating while Lia was ranting to Moxie and Noctis about quidditch. Caelan and Adina joined the table and grabbed food.

"How is life?" asked Adina.

"It could be better," said Lia.

"She's upset that Noctis and Moxie aren't as interested in quidditch as she is," Lydian explained without looking up from her book.

"How do you keep up with conversations and read at the same time?" Lia exclaimed.

"I admit that I read much slower when I talk, but other than that the reason is simple. I'm magical," said Lydian.

"We're all magical. That's why we're all at this school," said Lia.

"Fine, I'm better at multi-tasking," said Lydian.

"You're disturbing."

"You're mother thinks the same thing about you."

"A mama joke? Really?"

"You left the door wide open for it."

"I don't understand what quidditch is," said Moxie, hoping to interfere with the banter she found a bit annoying. Her wish was granted. Lia whipped her head to face Moxie.

"Quidditch is one of the greatest sports in the wizardry world. It's a simple game. All the players are on brooms and try to get the ball, called a quaffle, into one of the three hoops guarded by a keeper while trying to avoid bludgers which try to knock people off of their brooms," explained Lia. "The team that wins is the one who catches the golden snitch which also adds an additional 150 points to the final score."

"So it's kind of like football?" asked Moxie, meaning the sport that Americans know as soccer.

"Yeah," said Lia.

"What's football?" asked Noctis. Caelan looked confused as well.

"How do you not know what football is?" asked Moxie.

"I'm a pureblood. I don't really know much about Muggles," said Noctis.

"Same for me," said Caelan.

"I didn't know you guys were purebloods," said Moxie.

"Well, it's not like it's a big deal," said Caelan.

"Yeah, we don't put a lot of importance into it," added Noctis.

"What about you guys?" asked Moxie.

"Half-blood," the three replied.

"Which means what?"

"We're like the translators between purebloods and muggle-borns," said Adina.

"Crap!" Lydian exclaimed. Her friends looked at her in alarm.

"What?" They all asked her frantically.

"It's nothing. I forgot one of my books for class today. Man, I don't want to go all the way back to the house. Oh well. I have to go get it. I'll see you in class," said Lydian.

"Bye, darling," said Lia. With a final wave, Lydian left.

"You know, we probably should go to class," said Moxie.

"It's too early!" Lia complained.

"Cheer up, we have Flying today!" said Adina.

Lia's face lit up like a Christmas tree, "Oh yeah! I totally forgot!"

"What a surprise," Moxie said sarcastically. Lia rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Moxie. "I don't want to go. I'm perfectly happy keeping my feet on the ground."

"We've all got that together," said Caelan. "It should be fun."

"Here's hoping," said Noctis. "Well, I think it's time to go to class. See you guys later." Everyone said their good-byes and walked to their classes. The day dragged by as Caelan was waiting for Flying. She was excited for it and wanted it to come right now. Aiden took her flying on his broom once and it was amazing with the wind running through her hair and the feeling of complete freedom. Finally it was time for Flying. All of the first years from each house met outside in a wide open space meant for the lesson. It was taught by Madam Hooch who reminded Caelan of Professor McGonagall. They both seemed like women who would kick your butt if you crossed the line.

"Alright, enough tom foolery," announced Madam Hooch. Everyone was immediately still and silent, waiting for her instructions. "Well? What are you waiting for? Step up to the left side of your broom." Everyone did so hurriedly and turned to look at Madam Hooch. "Alright, I want you to place your right hand over the broom and say 'up.' It may take you a few tries." The air was full of 11 year olds saying the word 'up' frantically to be the one to gain bragging rights to being the first to get the broom in his or her hand. Caelan looked over at Lia who got her broom up on the first try.

"Up," Caelan commanded. The broom moved, but didn't come to her hand. "Up." This time the broom came up. Caelan grinned at looked at her friends. Lydian and Adina needed a few tries, but eventually their brooms were in their hands. Noctis had her broom shortly after them, but Moxie was having a bit of trouble. She wasn't thrilled to be there. Finally, she got it (though she was one of the last ones to do it). Everyone looked at Madam Hooch again and was surprised when Oliver Wood came up to her. Oliver was in Caelan's house and she knew he was a bigger quidditch fan that Lia (which was a huge surprise).

"Sorry I'm late, Madam Hooch. Professor Snape wanted to talk to me," said Oliver.

"Well, you've got good time Wood. We're just about to hover. Alright, class, I want you to mount your brooms, hover, and land back on the ground on my whistle. Ready?" Madam Hooch said. Everyone mounted their brooms and waited. She pulled out the whistle and blew, it's shrill call going to all of their ears. The class began to raise at different heights. Caelan, Adina, Lia, and Lydian were following Madam Hooch's orders perfectly. Moxie was very close to ground while Noctis continued to climb higher and higher and she was not happy about it. Noctis let out a squeal while everyone else landed back on the ground so they could look at her. "Miss Todd, lower yourself!" Madam Hooch ordered. Noctis looked at the ground and everyone else, terrified.

"DON'T YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO?" she screamed. Her broom gave a lurch and Noctis held on to it even tighter, her knuckles turning white. Her friends stared up at her, terrified for her. Oliver ran over and looked up at Noctis.

"Noctis! Focus!" he shouted up to her.

She glared at him and her broom lurched again, causing her to lose her grip and fall off her room. She yelled as the ground came closer, but she stopped as Wood caught her.

"Gotcha," he told her with a smile.

Her arms tightened around his neck, "I refuse to go on a broom again!"

"Now, now, Miss Todd, don't be dramatic," said Madam Hooch.

"Dramatic? DRAMATIC! I could've broken something! I could've died and you think I'm being dramatic!" Noctis began to hyperventilate.

"NOCTIS!" Oliver yelled.

"WHAT?"

"I wasn't going to let you get hurt," he said quietly to her.

Caelan noticed the look that Lydian and Lia shared with their raised eyebrows and knowing smirks. Then they met Caelan's eyes they all shared the look.

"Madam Hooch, may I take Noctis to see Madam Pomfrey? She's very shaken," said Oliver.

"Yes," said Madam Hooch. "Thanks Wood." Oliver nodded and carried Noctis to Madam Pomfrey. Everyone began talking excitedly about what happened. Many of the girls giggled and pointed at Noctis and Oliver, whispering to each other. "Alright, the lesson is done for today since you can't focus any more. Go to dinner." The class left the brooms on the ground and walked to dinner. Lydian, Lia, Caelan, Adina, and Moxie all met up with each other.

"My oh my, how interesting things turned out to be today," said Lydian.

"Oliver Wood seems to be quite the hero," said Lia.

"Or Noctis' hero," said Caelan. The girls laughed and linked arms except for Moxie who didn't like doing that sort of thing.

"Do you guys think that she likes him and is just in denial about it?" asked Adina.

"Yes," said Lia and Caelan.

"No," said Moxie.

"Who knows with her? But we should not tell her that we think these things because I do know that she will come after us in our sleep and kill us," said Lydian.

"How do you come up with these things?" Caelan exclaimed.

"I'm a 'glass is half full' type of person," said Lydian. They reached the great hall and went to the Hufflepuff table, grabbing dinner and waiting for Noctis. They didn't have to wait long. Oliver had walked her to the great hall (Noctis walking as well) and he escorted her to the table.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm small, but mighty," said Noctis.

He smiled and nodded, "Alright, see you later." Oliver turned to the rest of the girls, "Bye ladies."

"Bye Oliver!" they called after him. He walked away and Noctis sat down between Lydian and Caelan. The girls shared a look and Noctis noticed again.

"I do not love Wood!" she exclaimed.

"Of course not," said Lia.

"Why would you?" asked Lydian.

"He only saved you from getting hurt or being killed," said Caelan.

"Carried you to the hospital," said Adina.

"He's just a gentleman, guys. It doesn't mean anything," said Moxie.

"Thank you!" Noctis exclaimed gratefully.

The girls shared a look again, but said nothing. Eventually, they had to go to their houses and Caelan and Adina were up talking. "You know, I think Noctis and Oliver would be adorable together," said Caelan. "She's so small compared to him!"

"We should come up with a name for them! What about…Nover…or Olis…or Noctver!" said Adina.

"'Noctver?'"

"Yeah, why not?

"I like it. Noctver they shall be."

"Bloody brilliance."

"You know, Noctis would kill us if she found out we did this," Caelan said thoughtfully after a moment, getting settled in bed.

Adina climbed into her own bed and grinned, "That's why it's so much fun."


	5. Secret

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back! I have so many hopes for this story that I get lost in deciding what to do. Plus, who doesn't get distracted thinking of the manly men of Harry Potter. I think that's all. I don't really have much to say. Thanks for reading this and PLEASE REVIEW.

**Disclaimer: I don't own the books or movies of Harry Potter. However, I do claim my OCs and their families because they are of my mind. **

**Chapter 5: Secret**

It was two days later when Lydian bustled around the room quietly while her roommates slept. She always woke up early and instead of staying in bed like a normal kid, she got out of bed and got her things ready for the day. Combing her hair, Lydian noticed the other girls began stirring. They did their stretches and whatnot, except for one. One was still curled in a ball underneath the covers. Lydian sighed and went to Lia's bed. She poked Lia's side and Lia twitched. "Up," Lydian commanded. She continued poking Lia.

"Stop poking me," Lia complained.

"Then get up," said Lydian. With a last poke she stopped and went to her bed.

Lia slowly sat up in bed and gave Lydian a look of disgust, "You suck."

"I've heard worse," Lydian replied indifferently. She sat on her bed and read as Lia began getting ready.

Lia rolled her eyes and finally got out of her bed. She pulled on her robes and looked at her friend. "You read a lot."

"Yep."

"You're strange."

"Yep."

Lydian didn't seem to be paying attention so Lia thought to have some fun. "You have a secret lover in Gryffindor."

"Yep."

"You meet him at night in the Forbidden Forest and talk about adopting unicorns."

"Well, seeing as you'll be living in my basement, we have to have something for you to play with and occupy your time," said Lydian.

"Why am I living in your basement?"

"Because we adopted unicorns." Lydian and Lia stared at each other for a moment before they busted out laughing. Lia left to brush her teeth and together the girls went down to the great hall. The other girls weren't there yet so Lia and Lydian sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Lydian gathered some breakfast while Lia looked around the great hall. There wasn't anything really special about it, but she did love the ceiling and how it looked like the sky. She came back to the ground as Noctis and Moxie showed up.

"Hey," said Moxie.

"Where are the gingers?" asked Noctis.

"Sorry we're not entertaining enough for you," said Lydian.

Noctis shot her a look that went unheeded.

"We're behind you," said Caelan. She and Adina took a seat and they all began eating their meal in silence.

"Are we all depressed today?" asked Moxie.

Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

"No," said Lydian. "We're all just tired." She also looked around the room. She was facing the Gryffindor table and found it curious when a certain pair of brown eyes looked at Noctis. "The plot thickens."

"What do you mean?" asked Lia.

"You know, Noctis, for as uninterested as you are in Oliver Wood; he's certainly interested in you," Lydian said, indirectly answering the question.

"He's checking me out?" Noctis exclaimed. "That's repulsive."

"I wouldn't say he's being as creepy as you believe, but you intrigue him. He could have a crush on you," said Lydian.

"Will you all let that go?"

Caelan and Adina snickered and whispered, "Noctver."

It was unnoticed by the other girls, except for Moxie. "What's Noctver?"

Caelan and Adina's eyes widened and they tried to get her to drop it, but Noctis' glare was on them.

"Answer her question," Noctis growled.

"It's nothing really. It's just a joke," said Caelan, fearing the fury in Noctis' eyes which seemed to be getting darker and darker.

"I'd love to have a laugh," said Noctis.

"We find you and Oliver so adorable that we came up with a name for you. Noctver was the best one we came up with. It's a combo of your names—Noctis plus Oliver equals Noctver," Adina explained in a light voice, trying to get Noctis to laugh.

Moxie rolled her eyes and went back to her food while Lydian and Lia were trying not to burst out laughing.

"It was nice knowing you guys," said Lia.

"We'll say nice things at your funeral," Lydian added.

Noctis had been very silent all this time, but her rage became more and more noticeable. She glared at the Gryffindors with all the hate she could muster. "You two are dead!" she exclaimed.

Adina and Caelan grabbed their books and ran out of the great hall.

"YOU CAN RUN YOU COWARDS, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!" Noctis screamed after them. Leaving her books behind, she ran after them. Everyone in the hall stared at the commotion and slowly went back to eating, giving each other questioning glances.

Lia, Lydian, and Moxie went on with their breakfast as though nothing had happened. "Out of curiosity, do you think they'll get away from her?" Lia asked.

"I'd bet that Adina would. Her legs are long and she can cover more distant. Let's face it, Noctis is short. As for Caelan, she's shorter than Noctis. I don't think she's got a chance," said Lydian.

"Worse things have happened," said Moxie.

Lia and Lydian looked at her in shock. Since when was Moxie so cold?

She noticed their shock, "Come on, they had to know that Noctis would want to kill them."

"I suppose this is the vengeful side of our angel?" Lydian commented dryly. "Well, I daresay it's time for us to go to class."

"What about Noctis' stuff?" asked Lia.

"Carry it," Lydian answered simply.

"But we have different classes. I can't balance her stuff and mine," said Moxie.

"Then use that spell Professor Flitwick taught us. You know—Wingardium Leviosa," said Lydian.

"I don't like using my wand. It feels weird…like, like I'm just playing around with a dangerous toy," said Moxie.

Lydian desperately wanted to roll her eyes, but managed not to. "Fine, then carry it. Lia and I are going to the outside of the school. It's our day with Gryffindors."

Moxie groaned and Lydian and Lia shared a frustrated look.

"Oh, for the love of Pete, it's not that hard!" Lydian growled. She whipped out her wand (an 11 inch ash with a dragon heartstring) and said, "Just swish and flick. _Wingardium Leviosa_." Noctis' books began to rise from the table. Lydian then directed them back to the table, discontinued the spell, and put her wand back in her robs. "See? There's nothing to it."

"I guess," said Moxie.

"Well, we'll see you at lunch," said Lia. She and Lydian left when Moxie took out her wand. They headed to Herbology where they found Adina panting heavily. "I guess Noctis didn't catch you. Where's Caelan?"

"Don't…know. We…got…separated," Adina said, taking a breath between each word. She finally got control of herself and they all put on their gloves. A minute later Caelan came in. She seemed relatively unharmed.

"Did Noctis get you?" Lydian asked.

"No, I managed to ditch her. It was hard, but luckily the paintings near Gryffindor told her I went the opposite way. It gave me time to escape," Caelan explained.

"You two are screwed during lunch," said Lia.

"Especially since she's got class with Slytherins. She'll be even angrier," Lydian added.

"Crap! I did not think about that!" Adina exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're dead," said Lia.

"Well, it was nice knowing you guys. You can have all my stuff," said Adina.

"My brother gets first dibs, but then feel free to take what you want," said Caelan.

"You know, we've never met your brother," said Lydian.

"Eh, I'll introduce you guys eventually. He's graduating this year," said Caelan.

"Cool deal," said Lydian. At that point everyone came in, including Professor Sprout, and class began. It dragged on for Lydian who hated the class, but it was tolerable with Lia, Caelan, and Adina who often helped her out. The morning passed and it was finally time for lunch. The four girls were walking together when Lydian said, "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up."

"Where are you going?" Lia asked, giving her puppy eyes.

"I have to use the toilet," said Lydian.

"Then we'll go with you or wait. You know what they say—girls travel in packs," said Adina.

"Guys, I can go to the loo by myself. Believe it or not I've mastered potty training. Just go on and save me a seat, yeah?" Lydian said.

Lia rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Why would we ever save a seat for _you_? You're just some weird girl who follows us around and insist on calling us friends, but fine. I guess we can save you a seat."

"Gee, how kind of you. Just go," said Lydian. She went to the lavatory to attend to her business and then Lydian walked through the walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with her books clutched tightly to her chest. She was on her way to the great hall for lunch when someone knocked into her and caused her to drop her books on the floor. Lydian quickly went to her knees to pick up the fallen materials. "Oh, sorry about that," said a guy's voice. He kneeled next to Lydian to help pick up her books. Their hands accidently brushed against each other and Lydian quickly stood away from the stranger. She looked at him closely and saw that he was a handsome boy with red hair and pale skin. His muscles were lean and his honest brown eyes were light with mischief. "Hi, my name is George Weasley," said George, picking up the last of her books.

Lydian could only nod in response. She snatched her book from his hand and held her books so tightly that her knuckles began turning white.

George noticed and gave Lydian a warm smile, "You know, it's custom to give someone your name after they give you their name."

"L-L-Lydian," she whispered. "Lydian Dowell."

"Lydian," said George, testing the name out. "That's a pretty name.

"Can't take the credit for it."

"Huh?"

"You know, how you parents…name you," said Lydian. She blushed in embarrassment about the pathetic attempt at a joke. Why couldn't she be less shy?

George, however, gave a hearty laugh, "There may be some hope for you yet, Lydian Dowell. You've got some potential. I hope we have class together—maybe I'll bestow some of my wisdom upon you."

"Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs have Herbology together…and I think Transfiguration too," said Lydian.

"How do you know my house?"

"Your robes. Besides, you're a Weasley. Every Weasley is in Gryffindor," said Lydian as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

George blushed, "Oh, yeah. Well, I gotta go. See you around, Lydian."

"Bye." Lydian smiled as George left. She was fairly certain she had just made a friend. She stared after George for a moment before joining her friends at lunch. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face, but was glad that everyone was focused on Noctis. She just wanted to keep George Weasley her own little secret for a little bit. Lydian knew she'd cave and tell them eventually, but for now, it was nice to think of a boy. 


	6. Busted

A/N: I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER! I had play practice until 9, I got sick, then the actual play, and then exams came up, but now it is summer and I am free! So I shall update more often now. Thanks for sticking by and being patient. Please review!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of his friends/family. However, I do own my OCs and their families. Thievery is not appreciated. There were also be references to multiple shows (one of which is Scooby Doo).**

**Chapter 6: Busted**

_Lydian seems jumpy lately_. The thought constantly plagued Lia's mind. Her friend was nervous about something and it had to do with Gryffindors. Every time they were brought up, Lydian's answers were short with a bit of hysteria underneath her tone. Lia also constantly caught Lydian looking over at the Gryffindor table, but always looking quickly away when she noticed Lia observing her. One day, Lia finally had enough. Lydian was getting her books for the day when Lia came next to her. "What they bloody hell is wrong with you?" Lia asked, getting to the chase.

Lydian gave her a confused look, "Sorry?"

"You've been acting really weird lately. What is going on with you?"

Lydian sighed. She knew she would get caught, but she didn't expect it so soon. "Look, I met this guy and now he seems to be everywhere I go. I didn't want you and the girls making a big deal about it."

"Oh…so who is he? I know he's in Gryffindor. You keep looking over at their table," Lia answered the unspoken question.

"George Weasley."

"George Weasley? That guy who keeps playing pranks with his brother Red?"

"Fred," Lydian corrected.

Lia made a careless wave of her hand, "Same difference."

"Whatever. Just…please don't tell the others! It's bad enough you know. If they do, I'll never live it down."

"I am offended!" Lia pretended to storm out in a huff while Lydian rolled her eyes and followed. They made it out of the house when Lia noticed something. "Hey, Lyd?"

"Yeah?"

"Was that curtain always covering a door?"

"Not as far as I'm aware." The girls shared a look and went to the end of the hall where a deep red curtain covered a large, wooden door. It was never noticed before. The curtain was always assumed to be decorative instead of serving a purpose. Lia and Lydian stepped behind the curtain and drew it back to hide themselves.

Lia tried to open it. "It's locked."

"Maybe there's something in our books to unlock it, but I don't think we have the time now," said Lydian, worried about missing class or being late.

"But we do after dinner. It's Friday. We've got all weekend," Lia pointed out.

"At least we can tell the girls now."

"This is going to be so cool!" Lia squealed. The girls high-fived and cautiously stepped out from the curtain. No one was around. They made their way to the great hall as quickly as possible. The girls were there and Lia and Lydian ran to them.

"What's with you?" Adina asked. "Did Flint smile at you and you ran in fear?"

"While that is a cause for pure terror and running away: no. We've got a mystery on our hands, gang," said Lydian. Her eyes and Lia's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Guys, there is a secret door near our house. No idea what it leads to, but it's gotta be somewhere cool if they lock it and keep it hidden," said Lia.

"If it's locked, how are we going to open it?" Moxie asked.

"There's probably something in our books that unlocks doors," said Lia.

"How will we find it? Those books are hundreds of pages long," said Noctis.

"During classes and meals, each of us will take a chapter in our spell books until we find it. Worse comes to worse, we could always ask Professor Flitwick," said Lydian.

"Alright," said Caelan. "We'll do this. Who gets what chapters?"

"You take one and two. Adina, take three and four. Noctis, take five and six. Lia, take seven and eight. Moxie, take nine and ten. I'll take eleven and twelve," said Lydian. "We'll meet up at dinner with our findings and after it we'll go to the door and find out where it leads."

"What if we're not allowed to go in it?" Moxie asked worriedly.

"Then why would they put in a place we could easily find it?" Lia reasoned.

"It could've been made a long time ago. The person who made probably wasn't expecting students to find it," Moxie retorted defensively.

"What if it was built by one of the founders of Hogwarts?" Lydian exclaimed excitedly.

"Who would build a secret room for no reason?" asked Adina.

"To get away from annoying people. It'd be a perfect sanctuary," said Lydian.

"We have rooms," Moxie pointed out.

"Which we share with four other girls," Noctis replied. "Sometimes you just need to get away."

"Alright, it's agreed. Everyone come to Hufflepuff—it's in the basement, near the kitchens. Our door is a still life painting. Lia and I will take you to the door and we'll go from there," said Lydian.

"Do you really expect this to be amazing?" asked Caelan.

Lydian looked at her for a moment and nodded, "Yeah, it's going to be amazing."

No one could wait for the day to end. Lia was jittery in all of her classes. She read her chapters in History of Magic and Charms. If she was called on to answer a question, Lydian whispered the answer to her. She found the spell in chapter seven and eagerly informed the girls of her findings. They were all thrilled and made the plans. Each house pair would come 15 minutes after the other. Lia and Lydian would already have the door open and then they'd explore. Lydian was wise enough to ask Professor Flitwick about a charm that casted light in case the way was dark. Lia and Lydian went to the door. Lia took out her wand from her sleeve that she always kept pushed onto her upper arm. "Alohomora," she said. There was an audible click and Lia turned the knob. The door opened.

"Brilliant," Lydian whispered.

"After you, my lady," Lia said with extreme courtesy.

"No, this is your adventure. You noticed the door, you found the spell, and _you_ will lead this expedition," said Lydian. "The spell that Flitwick gave me is 'lumos.' I'll wait for the girls."

"No need," a voice said from the other side of the curtain. "We're clear." Noctis and Moxie quickly joined Lia and Lydian. "Caelan and Adina will be here soon," said Noctis.

"Okay. Why don't you three head down and I'll wait for them. Or, at least go into the hallway so we all have room," Lydian suggested. Noctis, Moxie, and Lia stepped inside the threshold of the door way. Soon Adina and Caelan joined them and all the girls entered the hallway, shutting the door behind them. Immediately after the door was shut, torches sprang to life with fire and lit the way down the hallway. "Strange," Lydian commented.

"Very," Caelan replied.

"Let's go," said Lia. Her voice shook with enthusiasm. They walked cautiously down the hall which was wide enough for all six to walk together in a line. It was made of stone like the rest of Hogwarts, but had no adornments on it other than the torches. When they reached the end of the hall, they came upon another door. Lia took out her wand again and said, "Alohomora."

Nothing happened.

Caelan turned the knob and pulled at the door, "It's still locked." A breeze suddenly passed between them and made the girls involuntarily shiver.

"Did you hear that?" Lydian asked.

"Hear what?" Adina replied.

"Hush. Listen." The breeze passed again and Lia heard what Lydian was talking about.

_Hufflepuff_.

Lia and Lydian shared a look while the others were still confused. "Hufflepuff?" Lia asked. They shared another look and this time Lydian tried to open the door. It didn't open, but there was something else.

"Lia, didn't you say that you love Roman culture?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Look at the words on the door. Isn't that Latin?"

There was a glowing sentence that ran through the middle of the door.

_Vos mos patefacio ut ego iubeo_.

"What does it say?" asked Caelan.

"I think it says…'you will open when I command it,'" Lia translated.

"Okay…well, uh, open?" Lydian commanded with some uncertainty in her voice.

"Maybe try in Latin," said Moxie.

"Lia, what's the word for open?"

"Aperio."

The door was thrown open as though someone had pushed it from the inside. It banged on the wall and the sound echoed, freezing the girls in apprehension they'd be caught. The dark hole it opened to looked uninviting and dangerous.

"I'm not sure this is a great idea anymore," said Moxie.

Lydian gulped a bit, but said, "Normally, I'd agree. But we've come too far to turn back now."

"What if there's a huge monster in there that wants to eat us?"

"I think it would have come out already." Lydian took out her wand and pointed at the darkness. "Lumos." The other girls took out their wands and did the same and they all walked into Merlin knows where. As before with the hall, torches flared on the wall and there was even a fireplace that began to light the room.

"What is this?"

The room's ceiling was as high as two classrooms stacked on top of each other. Medieval looking chandeliers hung from it with candles that helped light the room. Again the room was made of stone, but book shelves lined the walls with many ancient looking books with leather binding. Yellow and black drapes hung on the walls which gave the room a bright, but eerie décor. There was a large, square table in the middle of the room that was surrounded by comfortable looking chairs. Three plush sofas were also there, but surrounding the fire place. There was a door on each wall, though one wall had two doors next to each other. Each door had a symbol above it—a lion, an eagle, a snake, and a tree. The door they had just come in had a badger over it. However, for as grand as the room was, it obviously hadn't been cleaned in a long time as inches of dust coated everything.

The coterie scuffled around the room, looking at everything possible. "Guys!" Adina called. Everyone stopped their explorations to look at her. "Seriously, what is this place? Why does the school have a random, secret library near Hufflepuff house?"

"It has to be something to do with our house," Lydian reasoned. "Look, the drapes are black and yellow—our house colors."

"Look at the furniture!" Lia exclaimed, pointing at the legs of the table. They crouched down as Lia wiped the dust away. "It's some sort of animal head."

"I think that's a…badger," said Lydian.

"Our house mascot," said Lia.

"Exactly," Lydian said, getting up. "Look at the doors! They have the school symbols. I'd bet anything that these doors lead to the other houses."

"What about the tree?" asked Caelan.

"I don't know, but we could always find out if we go through it," said Lydian.

"No, no way. We're probably not even supposed to be here! We could be expelled if we're caught," said Moxie.

"Dumbledore didn't mention this when he said we weren't allowed to go certain places," said Lydian.

"He probably doesn't know about it," said Moxie.

"Then how would they find us?"

"Someone had to build this place. It can't have appeared on its own."

"So the question is who built it?" said Adina. "You seem to have an idea, Lyd."

"I do have an idea, but it might not make sense," Lydian said nervously.

"Give it shot. What's the worst that can happen if you're wrong?" Noctis replied supportively.

"I think this was built by Helga Hufflepuff. Look at it: yellow and black drapes, badgers on the furniture, chairs that look just like the ones we have in our common room, tunnels led to this place like tunnels lead to our dorms…it all points to her," said Lydian.

"So what's the part that doesn't make sense?" asked Lia.

"Well…I…it's just…would all this stuff last if was left behind 1,000 years ago? I mean, even the torches still light as though we're Helga, but spells cease when a witch dies. Besides, all that's shown of age is dust. Shouldn't there be mold or something. If no one knows about it besides Helga and us, no one would have cleaned it or kept it in shape. How is there only dust?" Lydian asked them as she began to pace, her mind rolling. "Unless…she bound it to the school. She knew that Hogwarts would last and so would the magic in it. If she made sure that the room was linked to the school instead of her, then it would last forever…even after her death."

"How would she link it to the school?" asked Noctis.

"I have no idea."

"But we could find it," said Lia.

"How so?"

"Look at all the books she left behind! There's got to be _something_ in them. We could learn a whole lot of magic through her. I think we might have found one of the best treasures ever of Hogwarts," said Lia.

"It does have very nice lighting and comfortable seats which no one should really sit in until they're cleaned," said Lydian.

"This could be the perfect hideout for us," said Noctis.

"There's a problem though," said Adina.

"What?"

"It takes a Hufflepuff to open it."

"Or just someone who can say open in Latin," said Lydian. "We can experiment with that later, but for now I think we should bask in the amazingness of this room."

"I still don't think we should be in here," said Moxie.

"Why not?" asked Caelan.

"There's something weird about this place. It's so buried and closed. There's hardly any air in here."

Everyone, but the Hufflepuffs, nodded their heads in assent.

"You guys come from houses that go out in the air and explore all the time. Badgers like underground," said Lydian.

"But you've got to admit this is cool," said Lia. She looked around the room with bright eyes.

"It is," said Caelan. She looked at her watch, "It's getting close to curfew. We should probably head back."

"Do we really have to?" Lia asked in despair.

"We'll come back tomorrow and clean and make this place even more spectacular," Lydian promised. With a bit more cajoling, they convinced Lia to come back to the dorms. They walked as quickly as possible down the hall and left their secret behind. Making sure the coast was clear, they stepped out from behind the curtain and were about to bade each other good night when they saw two figures coming from the kitchen. The girls froze, but relaxed when they saw two red headed twins.

"Hey Lydian," one of them said.

Everyone looked at Lydian except for Lia. Lydian began to blush. "Hey George," she replied shyly. She wouldn't meet her friends' eyes as they looked at her incredulously. Since when was Lydian timid?

An awkward silence ensued and the group shuffled on their feet. "So how did you two meet?" Noctis asked with a glint in her eyes.

"I was a klutz and ran into George. I dropped my books and he was kind enough to help me pick them up," said Lydian.

"Awe, how _adorable_," said Noctis. Her smirk grew as Lydian glared at her.

"You know, you guys should probably go before you get caught out of bed after curfew," Lia said, coming between Lydian and Noctis.

"Sure, sure," said Noctis.

"Bye Lydian," George said before he left with his brothers.

The girls bade Lia and Lydian good night with Cheshire smiles.

Lia and Lydian entered their dorm and went to their room. They got ready for bed and climbed into their beds when Lia said to Lydian, "You're so busted." Then they went to sleep.


	7. Dust Badgers

A/N: Happy birthday! It's probably not your real birthday, but it's someone's birthday somewhere. Anyways, here's another chapter that I hope you will like. Oh, if you don't get the title, think like "dust bunnies," but instead "dust badgers."

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, but I do own my OCs.**

**Chapter 7: Dust Badgers**

The whole day was dedicated to cleaning. Lydian had found some spells to clean the room—mainly to get rid of dust. The room was looking better and better each hour after they cleaned. No one worked harder than Lia. She was so ready for their hideout to be ready for use. She scrubbed and even polished the metallic badgers on the furniture. The group had never seen her so dedicated and impassioned about something. The room was almost ready when they took a break and went down to the great hall for dinner. George waved to Lydian again and she replied with a wave and blush. "You know, Lyd, I think that blush of yours matches Weasley's hair," said Noctis.

"Oh shut up," Lydian growled.

"Hey, you've got this coming," said Noctis.

"I was not that bad to you," Lydian protested.

"Doesn't matter. I'm going to get revenge on each and every one of you!" Noctis exclaimed proudly. She began to laugh maliciously as Lydian glared at her.

"You know, with all these guys popping out of nowhere, we should keep food in the room," said Lia.

"Why?" asked Moxie.

"I dunno, but whenever girls have heart troubles they always seem to be eating to make the pain go away," said Lia.

"You'd think they'd get fat," said Moxie.

"Exercise goes a long way," said Adina.

"Yeah, but we're too lazy," Lia pointed out.

"We used to think that about you, but you cleaned more than anyone," said Lydian.

"Eh, cause I actually like what we're doing," said Lia. "So are we going to go back tonight?"

"Have to," said Lydian, piling food upon her plate. "We've gotta see if the non-Hufflepuffs can open the door."

"What door?" asked a guy's voice.

Lydian, Lia, and Caelan whipped around to see George and Fred looking at them with curious expressions.

"Have you been holding out on us, dear Lydian?"

"Which one are you?" asked Noctis.

"The one who just spoke is George," answered Lydian.

"How do you know?" asked Fred.

"George has a mole on his neck and you don't," said Lydian. Everyone looked at her and she began to blush again. "What? I-I notice a l-lot of things a-b-bout people."

"Sure," said Noctis, her tone showing obvious disbelief.

"Anyways," Fred began.

"What's this door you're talking about?" George finished.

"Uh…house doors," Lydian said quickly.

"House doors?" George looked skeptical. He and Fred crossed their arms in perfect synch while the girls just looked at each other incredulously.

"Yeah, house doors. We were curious if students from other houses can enter our house through the paintings," said Lydian, her voice seemed to go up as she lied. She coughed and cleared her throat.

"You know, that probably wouldn't be the greatest idea," said George.

"You have no idea who else could get the password," Fred added.

"You think we'd give it to someone else?" Noctis asked, disgusted by the thought. She made a face at them.

"Well, it was just a thought," said Lydian. "Well, see you." She turned around and began eating again until she heard someone clear their throat. She looked at Lia who nodded at the Weasley twins who were still there. Lydian turned around and swallowed her food. "Err…was there something else?"

"No…no, there wasn't. N-night girls," said George. He quickly began to walk away and his twin, though rolling his eyes, followed.

Lydian, Caelan, and Lia all turned around to face their plates again, but everyone's eyes were still on Lydian. "What?" she asked.

"You know what," said Adina.

"If I knew, I wouldn't have asked," Lydian snapped.

"Merlin's pants, we've got our entire futures to think about boys. For right now, can't we just focus on…Quidditch?" Lia suggested, annoyed by all of the boy drama already. They weren't even dating anyone! Though how you go out at 11 years old was beyond her.

"Isn't that swearing?" asked Moxie.

"'Merlin's pants?'" Lia clarified. "I suppose it would. It's at least crude language."

"Why do you think they were so interested?" asked Lydian.

"Huh?" asked Caelan.

"George and Fred, I mean. Why were they so interested? We were talking about a door," said Lydian.

"You don't think they know, do you?" Adina asked.

"How would they?" Lia reasoned. She turned to Lydian, "I think you're being a bit paranoid."

"Maybe." Lydian still looked uncertain, but let the subject drop. The group finished their dinners and headed back to the Hufflepuff library. Walking down the hallway felt familiar to Lia, though she didn't know why. Hogwarts had officially become home, especially when she found the girls. As corny as it sounded, she couldn't imagine life without them. Lia gave them all a big grin and looped her arm through Lydian's who continued the chain. "What's got you so jolly?" asked Lydian.

"I just love you all," Lia replied with a shrug.

"You were definitely sorted into the right house," said Noctis.

"Yes, yes I was," Lia replied with a proud smile.

"Door!" exclaimed Caelan.

"Very good, Caelan," Lydian said dryly.

"Shut up," said Caelan.

"Oh, please, you know you love me," said Lydian.

"Yes, I do actually," said Caelan. They stopped in their tracks; looking at the door.

"Well, let's get the show on the road," said Adina.

"Alright. We know that Lia can open it. I guess I could try and then will close the door and each of you guys try," said Lydian. "Aperio." The door creaked opened, but didn't hit the wall and give the girls fake heart attacks. "Okay, so I can open it. Lia, will you close the door please?"

"Of course, darling," said Lia. She disentangled herself from Lydian and shut the door. She walked back to the girls who all waited patiently for her.

"Adina, you're up," said Lia.

Adina took a step forward, looking slightly unsure of herself, but straightened her back and said, "Uh…aperio."

Nothing happened.

The six girls shared a look.

"Um…wanna give it a try, Caelan?" asked Lia.

"I guess," said Caelan. She stepped next to Adina and said, "Aperio."

Nothing happened again.

"Noctis?"

Nothing.

"Moxie?"

Nothing.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that non-Hufflepuffs cannot open the door," said Lydian.

"What makes you think so?" Lia replied sarcastically.

Lydian gave her a pointed her look and said, "Aperio." The door opened and they stepped inside. They took seats around the table, each lost in her own thoughts.

"It does make sense," said Lia. "It's like her house that she was sorted into. She wouldn't want someone from another house to barge in on her sanctuary."

"Or another founder," added Lydian. "I wonder what they were like."

"We know the basics. Gryffindor was all about bravery and chivalry. Ravenclaw thought that having a big brain and creativity was the best way to go. Slytherin liked purebloods and ambition. Hufflepuff…she took anyone," said Noctis.

"She didn't just take anyone," Lia objected, her temper flaring up. She stood abruptly, the need to rant taking over. "She accepted everyone that valued loyalty and hard work and acceptance. She didn't go out of her way to judge people or make them feel inferior in some way like the other founders. She was compassionate and let's face it; somehow, every student here has a part of Hufflepuff in them. You need those other houses' qualities, yeah, but the basics are always characteristics to Hufflepuff and dammit, I'm proud to be a Hufflepuff!"

Everyone was silent until Lydian smiled and stood. She took out her wand and raised it, "To the badger."

Lia grinned and took her wand out to raise it, "To the badger."

The others stood and took their wands. "Well, to the dust badgers," said Adina. The friends laughed and spent hours talking. They probably should've been cleaning, but they got some food from the kitchens and enjoyed the gossip. They eventually left the library and went back to their respective houses.

**/V/V/V/V/V/V/V/V/V/ **

George and Fred sat on George's bed with the curtains shut. The map they found in Flitch's office was spread out, all the dots of people moving to wherever they were going. The brothers didn't care about them. They only cared about six pairs of dots the suddenly came onto the map as quickly as they had vanished. Lydian really was holding onto a secret. George knew he had only met with her a few times to talk and so didn't actually have the right to snoop about her business. He wasn't even aware of her existence until a few days ago, but there was something about her that clung to him. Maybe it was because she was so shy around him and he found it cute, but whatever the case; he wanted to know what she was up to.

Fred, on the other hand, didn't really care that much all. However, his brother did and so Fred decided to help him. Besides, the mystery was killing him. Where were those girls going that wiped them off the map until they came back? It was strange. "George?"

"Yeah, Fred?" George asked.

"I think we should pay a visit to the Hufflepuff house tomorrow."

"I couldn't agree more."

The hunt was on.


	8. Cat and Mouse

A/N: It's another chapter…there's really nothing else to say. PLEASE REVIEW! They're so lovely and make me feel all warm and tingly inside. Pretty please?

**Disclaimer: I do not have the privilege to own Harry Potter. If I did, I wouldn't feel the need to write fanfiction. However, I do own the OCs and their families so please to don't be like the white rabbit and try to steal my Trix. If you wish to write about my girls, send me a message and I'll decide if you have permission or not.**

**Chapter 8: Cat and Mouse**

Lydian went up to the Owlry after she finished writing a long letter to her parents (the girls said they would wait for her in their library). She wrote about everything that came to mind—classes, her friends, teachers, and everything. It was just after breakfast so the place was pretty empty. Many of the school owls were already gone from yesterday. It seemed as though writing home was a fever catching all of the first years. Her owl, Bean, was on the highest row of beds. He almost looked too cute to wake up. Almost. "Bean!" Lydian called, trying to keep her voice low enough for the other sleep owls.

Bean heard her and opened his large eyes. He took a moment to blink and then looked down to see Lydian beaming up at him. Bean stretched his wings before flying down to Lydian, resting on the window sill.

"Good morning," she said to him.

Bean hooted softly and stuck out his leg.

Lydian tied her letter to his leg and said, "You're going to mum and dad. When you come back, I'll have a treat for you—beans; your favorite."

Bean became much happier and affectionately nipped her fingers before taking flight. Lydian didn't know why, but it seemed to affect her much more. The sun was up and the sky clear with a slight breeze as Bean flew. She wondered what flying was like. It was a freedom with no bounds.

"Hi Lydian," said a voice.

Lydian shrieked and turned around to see George smirking at her. Her hand rested on her racing heart and she took a few deep breaths. "Hi," came the shaky reply.

"Did I…startle you, by chance?" he asked the smirk still firmly in place.

"What'd g-give you that-t idea?" Lydian looked around to see some of the owls glaring at her for waking them up so rudely. "Sorry about that."

They seemed contented and settled back into sleep.

"So…any other reason you're up here? Other than giving me a heart attack?" Lydian asked coolly. She removed her hand from her chest and pretended to pick some lint from her robes, pointedly ignoring George.

"Come on, don't be mad," said George.

Lydian raised her eye brows, "Is that a command?"

"I'm sorry," George replied, giving her his sweetest smile.

Lydian rolled her eyes, but smiled in return, "Yeah, yeah, so why are you up here?"

"The girls said I could find you here."

"Well…you've found me. Why did you want to find me?"

"Oh…um," George began to stutter and blush, "Well…I w-was wondering if…you would…help me with my homework!"

"Homework?" Lydian looked skeptical.

"Yeah, homework," said George.

"Why didn't you do that earlier or have someone else in your house help you?" she asked.

This made George more nervous. His hand came to the back of his neck as he scratched it embarrassingly. "Because I wanted…_your_ help."

It was Lydian's turn to blush. "Oh! Um…I didn't realize, I mean…wow, I feel stupid right now. Um…sure, of course I'll help you. What do you need help with?"

"The, uh, potions essay," George answered.

"Oh, yeah, that was a killer. Listen, why don't you go get your stuff and meet me in the library? I have to get my essay and I should tell the girls I won't be in their company today," said Lydian.

"As it were, I have my stuff with me. Why don't I just walk you to your house and we'll meet the girls and tell them? Where are they, anyways?" George replied, showing his books balancing on a post behind him.

"Oh, aren't you on top of things? You see…I would take you to the girls, except—"

"Except what?"

"Girls' day," Lydian said quickly.

"'Girls' day?'"

"Yeah, the girls and I were planning to have a girls' day. You know…bonding stuff. If I take you to the classroom we're having said girls' day in, I'll be in a heap of trouble," said Lydian.

"You're a really bad liar," George told her casually. "You come up with good stuff, but you can never sell it."

"How are you certain that I'm lying? Maybe I committed to an Unbreakable Vow to keep the day a secret. Do you want me dead? I didn't mean to run into you that day, George. It was an accident, honest. Do you really want me dead because of some little bump?"

"If you did the Unbreakable Vow, you'd be dead already. You told me about girls' day," George pointed out smugly.

"The location is secret. Not the day," Lydian said as though she was talking to a child.

"Believe me, I know the location is a secret," George muttered. His eyes widened as Lydian glared at him sharply.

"What did you mean by that?"

"Nothing."

"George, have you been…_spying_ on me somehow?" Lydian was getting angry very quickly.

"NO! I've…I've been checking on you," said George.

"Checking on me?" Lydian's voiced oozed disbelief. "Wow, how kind of you. I must be such a damsel in distress for the great George Weasley to come save me. How have I ever lived without you? Checking on me, really? You expect me to believe that?"

"I'm not trying to be a creep. Look, I'll meet you in the library and explain everything. I promise, but, please, don't shut the door on me," George pleaded. He had such a sweet, earnest look on his face that Lydian felt like she was kicking a puppy.

She sighed, "Fine. I'll be in the library in about 15 minutes."

"I'll be waiting." George left the Owlry while Lydian hurried to the secret library she shared with her friends. She snuck behind the curtain, opened the door, and ran down the hall.

"Aperio!" she exclaimed and the door opened. Lydian appeared before four of her friends slightly out of breath. Wait, four? "Where's Noctis?"

"We don't know. She said she had to go take care of something and that she'd meet us later. What is with you?" Lia asked.

"I just ran from the Owlry. George wants my help on the Potions essay," said Lydian. "It's a cover up, though…I think he knows we're sneaking off here. I'll get more details later and fill you in."

"Okay," said Caelan. "Don't let anything slip."

"I haven't."

"But this is George. Let's face it, you've got a soft spot for him," said Adina.

"Fair enough, but I won't. He's not a bad guy."

"Okay, have fun snogging each other's tonsils out," Lia said with a careless wave. She was very involved with the book on her lap.

"You're disgusting," said Moxie.

"I've been told worse," said Lia.

"Bye girls," said Lydian.

"Bye," they chorused.

Lydian left and entered Hufflepuff house. She gathered her books for Potions and headed down to the library where George was waiting for her. He was sitting at a table near the back of the library. None of his books were out. Madam Pince glared at students who were being too loud or who rushed into the library. Lydian walked over to George who was staring determinedly a piece of parchment on the table. "George?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you staring at that bare bit of parchment?"

"It's not just a bit of parchment."

"Does it also dance?"

"I know you're mad, but I can explain it all. Please sit."

Lydian rolled her eyes, but sat next to George. "Alright, what's so fantastic about this parchment?"

"You know how Fred and I pull amazing pranks that keep the school in anticipation as to what we'll do next?"

"You mean that keep the school wary and in fear that they'll be the next target?" Lydian corrected.

"There's a reason we know how to set things up perfectly and hardly ever get caught," said George. He gestured at the parchment. "This is that reason."

"First, hardly ever caught? You've had nine detentions in a manner of a month and a half," Lydian scoffed. "Anyways, what does this parchment have to do with it?"

"Lydie, I want you to promise me that you won't tell a soul about what I'm going to show you," George said, looking into her eyes intently.

"Did you just call me Lydie?"

George let out a frustrated sigh, "Please?"

"Fine, I promise," said Lydian.

George looked around and made sure no one was paying attention to them before taking out his wand and pointing at the parchment, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He took his wand away and put it back in his pocket. Lydian looked at him with confusion in her eyes, but he gestured to the parchment and so she continued to look. Something strange happened. Ink began to swirl upon the page in a graceful, deliberate dance. Lydian couldn't help but being impressed with the penmanship. Writing began to appear on the top.

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders Map," she read. Lydian looked at George again and then back down to the map. It looked oddly familiar. "George…this is Hogwarts!"

"Shh!" George hissed, putting his index finger on her lips. "Not so loud. This map is the key to Fred and mine's success." He took his hand away from her albeit reluctantly.

Lydian unfolded the map and was amazed to see even people were shown on the map. "Is that…Dumbledore in his study?"

"Yeah, this map shows everyone."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone. Where they are, what they're doing every minute of every day," George confirmed.

"This is brilliant! How did you get it?"

"Nicked it from Filtch's office the first time we had detention. We figured he'd have something good hidden in his office away from everyone," George said, obviously proud of himself.

"So this is how you check up on me? You look for me on the map?" Lydian asked. She scooted a bit away from George.

"Yeah, the thing is…you and your friends always seem to disappear from this spot." He pointed at the curtain where the door was hidden. "We should be able to find you, but it's like you don't exist. Then you come back from wherever you were and everything is as right as rain. Where are you guys going?"

Lydian sighed, "I'm not going to tell you."

George looked offended, "Why not?"

"Because I promised that I wouldn't," said Lydian.

"But you'll tell them about the map?"

"No, I promised you that I wouldn't tell anyone about the map and I won't. I keep promises, George."

"I…well…are you at least being safe?"

"We are."

"No unnecessary risks?"

"None."

George relented, "Fine, for now I will let it go. Don't expect it to stay like that."

"You wouldn't be George Weasley if you did completely forget. Now, do you really need help on the Potions essay?" Lydian asked.

"Yes, but wait a moment." He took his wand out and pointed it at the map. "Mischief managed." George put his wand away again as the ink began to disappear from the parchment, making it look blank again. He folded it up and placed it in his pocket. They got their Potions materials out and began to work on the essay.

**/V/V/V/V/V/V/V/V/V/V/V**

Noctis and Oliver were walking the halls of Hogwarts totally alone. He had taken the habit of checking on her, especially since the flying incident. Noctis was surprised that she actually enjoyed his company. He loved talking about quidditch, but with her he would actually talk about other stuff like classes and some of the tricks to surviving Hogwarts. "Won't you friends be shocked that you're talking with me instead of them?" he asked her.

"Probably would, except they don't exactly know that I'm meeting with you right now," Noctis confessed, a bit uncomfortable.

Oliver chuckled, "Why is that? Are we secret lovers or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous," said Noctis. "You're a Scotsman."

"What's wrong with being a Scotsman?"

"Nothing, I just felt like pointing it out." She shrugged her shoulders. "But you do talk about quidditch too much."

"I do not!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Yes you do. It's your thing. You're allowed to be obsessed with."

"And what is it that you obsess over?"

"Books. Preferably the dark and disturbing ones. Apparently, some muggles are really good at writing that type of stuff. Lydian has recommended a few authors to me," said Noctis.

"How is something as small and adorable as you so obsessed with violence and darkness?" Oliver joked. "What do your parents say?"

"I wouldn't know," Noctis' voice was cold. "They're dead."

Oliver stopped, paling. "Merlin, I didn't know. I'm sorry Noctis."

"Whatever." She stopped walking too and faced Oliver. "I don't actually know what happened to them. They died during the war. People think You-Know-Who killed them. I was sent to live with Augusta Longbottom and now I'm here at Hogwarts."

"I am sorry for bringing it up—"

"It's fine. You didn't know." Noctis didn't expect his next action.

Oliver pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

Noctis was frozen out of fear and caution. The only boy she ever hugged was her "cousin" Neville. Eventually, she thawed and wrapped her arms around Oliver's torso. She felt awkward about telling him first and not her friends, but Oliver was a friend too, right? He was certainly more attractive to her. She don't know how long they stayed like that, but time fast forwarded when they let go. She wished Oliver good-bye and they went their separate ways. The girls were waiting for her at the library with a lunch they had received from the kitchen House Elves. As she joined them, Noctis knew that she would tell them about her family eventually, but for now, Oliver knowing was enough.


End file.
